Harnessing Digital Twins in Transportation: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for Sustainability and Resilience

Abstract

The transportation sector is essential for global economic and social progress but also significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. While the application of digital twin technology has been noted in various sectors, such as aerospace, it has only recently begun to expand into the transportation field. This chapter explores the transformative potential of digital twin technology in developing sustainable and resilient transportation systems. Digital twins are dynamic virtual replicas of physical systems that incorporate real-time data and advanced analytics to enhance transportation networks' performance, adaptability, and efficiency. This study is grounded in a systematic literature review that analyzes the latest research, specifically, peer-reviewed publications from 2018 onwards, focused on the use of digital twin technology in future mobility and optimizing transport network management and supply chains. Real-world applications, such as the Thameslink Railway Program and the Port of Rotterdam, demonstrate how digital twins can enhance energy consumption and streamline logistics operations. The study presented in this chapter contributes to the current understanding of digital twin technology by critically examining its dual benefits and highlighting its role in adaptation and mitigation strategies to improve transportation resilience against climate change and extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, it addresses the implementation challenges and provides recommendations for future research.